To the Indians who Died in South Africa
~T.S.Eliot.
A man's destination is his own village,
His own fire, and his wife's cooking;
To sit in front of his own door at sunset
And see his grandson, and his neighbour's grandson
Playing in the dust together.
Scarred but secure, he has many memories
Which return at the hour of conversation,
(The warm or the cool hour, according to the climate)
Of foreign men, who fought in foreign places,
Foreign to each other.
A man's destination is not his destiny,
Every country is home to one man
And exile to another. Where a man dies bravely
At one with his destiny, that soil is his.
Let his village remember.
This was not your land, or ours: but a village in the Midlands,
And one in the Five Rivers, may have the same graveyard.
Let those who go home tell the same story of you:
Of action with a common purpose, action
None the less fruitful if neither you nor we
Know, until the judgement after death,
What is the fruit of action.
His own fire, and his wife's cooking;
To sit in front of his own door at sunset
And see his grandson, and his neighbour's grandson
Playing in the dust together.
Scarred but secure, he has many memories
Which return at the hour of conversation,
(The warm or the cool hour, according to the climate)
Of foreign men, who fought in foreign places,
Foreign to each other.
A man's destination is not his destiny,
Every country is home to one man
And exile to another. Where a man dies bravely
At one with his destiny, that soil is his.
Let his village remember.
This was not your land, or ours: but a village in the Midlands,
And one in the Five Rivers, may have the same graveyard.
Let those who go home tell the same story of you:
Of action with a common purpose, action
None the less fruitful if neither you nor we
Know, until the judgement after death,
What is the fruit of action.
Thomas Stearns Eliot, one of the great poet of English literature. He known as a central figure in English language Modernis poetry. He also known as essayist, playwright and critic.
"To the Indians who Died in South Africa" ~Poem was written at the request of Miss Cornelia Sorabji,for Queen Mary's book for India.
In the first Stanza, poet shows the beauty of the Indian land in front of Soldier's eyes. According to my evolution of this entire poem, poet make himself to as a Soldier and write his feelings throughout the words.
He starts his poem with Mentioning that A man's destination is his own village, his family, his land which he born. His wife's cooking, observation of his life when he become an old then he sit on the chair and see his grandson who will playing in dust with neighbour'u grandson. In this Stanza, poet try to show the behind stage of a Soldier's life, a reality which played on that stage. According to Eliot, hos destination is only his village, family,his own dust and of course, his motherland.When I read this stanza,I noticed that Eliot mantioned in it's Last line that, "playing in the dust together"In my mind, there was only one song running,तेरी मिट्टी में मिलज़ावा... By hindi poet Manoj Muntashir.
In the second Stanza, poet shows a scarred of soldier. Soldier has many injuries during the battle, but he secured cause of it's his duty. His immortal memories of the war and his fighting partner is coming from the another country. They not fight each other for their own country side purpose, but their first priority is their duty for the land which is not actually theirs.
In the third stanza, poet mentions that, "A man's Destination is not his Destiny." According to the poet, destination is the place, a person wants to reach. Here, the place is --- a soldier wants to reach in order to rest after Life. A men's rest after a busy life, it's means the Soldier's brave death. For a mighty soldier, every country is like his home. No matter why and where he died. Cause of he always believe in his निष्काम कर्म and he continues fight. It's his destiny which leads him the another land. He further says that when man dies bravely, cause of his destiny, where he die for a particular soil,is his own. Because, he gives his own blood for tha land and the people of that land.
In the last one, poet shows Indian and American soldiers who come to Africa for fighting and to safe that land. He appreciates both. And also mentioned that some soldiers are come from Midlands in England and some are comes from the land of the five Rivers (Punjab) but these are both who killed during the war and buried in the same graveyard in Africa and which so far away from their own country. And some soldiers are returns alive, who narrate their great comrades to their brothers or family when they return home. Their selfless action for another country and their sacrifices are both an incredible. An exalt sacrifice of their blood made in a foreign land is a common purpose, but actually it will Kindle the same great spirit in other men in the year to come,hopes the poet. We must realise that selfless action never goes without its own reward.
